Nay the Nay-Sayers

With there being over 7 billion people in the world, it’s pretty obvious that there’s going to be some overlap in human interaction at some point. Let’s face it… we are kind of everywhere lol (which is how we got in this environmental situation in the first place). The opportunities for each and every one of us to live vastly different lifestyles and have different values to match are endless. That being said, everybody may not see/understand why some of us care so much about the environment. Occasionally, picking up trash is ‘beneath’ people who do not value it, as if it’s always someone else’s responsibility. Not only that, but there are even people who knowingly contribute to the litter problem and do not care. How crazy is that?!

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Some people in this world do not understand, or do not WANT to understand why it is so important to not litter, to actively recycle, or put effort into living a more sustainable lifestyle. There are even instances where people are addicted to getting or are comforted by “stuff.” This is why it’s so important that the people who focus on saving/protecting the environment keep their continual efforts up to do exactly that, myself included!

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Efforts to save the Earth are difficult to keep track of… really though, how does one make apparent or show the lack of waste, or track how been using ‘less’ things? The lack of something is a large part of the idea behind the movement. Not having extra, only what you need, and with as little waste as possible left behind—those are a few main components I’ve discovered anyway. This is why some people don’t notice, or it’s easier to look away from the progress people have been making.

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When seeing one of us pick up trash out in the wild, occasionally we get weird looks. There’s even been instances where I’ve been laughed at, not directly, but have overheard it. It still sticks with me… and sometimes when I’m in that area I’m still a bit hesitant to pick up litter. I dislike that so much, it’s one off-handed comment someone made that they probably don’t even remember, yet I can’t get it off of my mind sometimes. I find this comparable to making fun of someone for working in a restaurant or a place they go to for service, yet they make fun of them for making it possible to have their wants and/or needs met. Who does that really help? Why would somebody make fun of/be rude to someone who is actively helping them?

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For this, I will claim there are some people I will never understand. Just because somebody is doing something different… let them be. As long as they’re not actively hurting anyone or anything, what harm is being done? Either way we cannot let it control our actions. I need to work on not letting it bother me as much, because the greater good is more important. Who knows, maybe these people will one day change their mind as to how they feel about what we do and will adopt some aspects of the lifestyle. Every little bit helps! We can’t let what other people think/say control our actions. Each day is a new opportunity for us to make ourselves happy and letting what others may think get in the way of that seems a bit antiquated. Life is too short to be anything but happy. By “naying the nay-sayers” there’s no being rude or mean, but by working towards our goals in living a more sustainable lifestyle no matter what anyone says. Keep on believing, and don’t let anyone make you feel silly for doing something for the greater good.

Sustainably Yours,

Nicole

P.S.:

I’ve been posting on SustainabiliMe for over two months now and have been learning and trying to improve as I go on (as we all do). Something I have been trying to do work on recently is better communicating/showing both my personality and theme of this blog.

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My goal for SusM is for this to be an open platform that cultivates and invites conversation, positive and progressive change, and ideas that we can discuss to better our lives and sustainable practices. After all this is a lifestyle blog… It’s literally about what I have been experiencing on my journey to a sustainable lifestyle, and ways I’ve found to alter my habits to leave less of a mark. I don’t want to just feel like I’m reporting something or like I’m an expert in the field. It’s just important enough that all of us humans learn how to more efficiently and effectively live our lives. We all go to the store, we all get paid from work, etc… this is just another part of life I think is an important skill to have under a person’s belt.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my little corner of the internet, and I really hope that you can learn something from reading this—and I hope to learn something from you, as I believe that there is always a bit of knowledge that we can learn from everybody.